Cups of Tea
by xxUSxUKxx
Summary: Arthur's eyes went wide, but he quickly covered that by dropping his own gaze to the ground. His cheeks were heating up more, and he was sure that Alfred could see them. "I..." He couldn't find his voice. How was he to answer? Tell him the truth? He let out a small sigh. "I think you're beautiful, Alfred. Inside and out." (USUK One-shot)


**Author's note: **I'm not sure what this is, it just randomly came to my mind one day. So here, enjoy lovelies. I do not own Hetalia or any of that jazz.

There was one thing in this town that Arthur always hated, no matter how much he tried to like it.

The tea.

There was something wrong with this town's tea. Call him... rich boy, thick-headed, or whatever. And maybe it had to deal with the fact that he grew up drinking actually _decent_ tea. But this here, this was just disgusting. Pure filth. Whatever tea they served in the shops around here, Arthur refused to drink them.

The only tea that he had ever really liked was the one that Alfred (of all people) had given him that one day when he had fallen ill and couldn't go about his daily activities.

That is, until one day...

After polishing his ever-so-long crush on Alfred, it was hidden and _very_ discreet because no one knew about it - no one could know that Arthur was weak when it came to boys, _especially_ boys. One morning, Arthur had been sitting at the dining table by himself, drinking a cup of tea. his head was down so that his long blonde hair tousled down over his eyes, so he did not see Alfred as he entered.

Alfred, on the other hand, sluggishly pulled his sweatshirt down over his head and scratched his back as he entered. Making as little noise as he could, he walked over to the pantry and grabbed a coffee cake before joining Arthur at the table.

Arthur was surprised at his sudden presence.

"Alfred!" He said, shooting his head up to look up at the younger man. "What... What are you doing up?" Arthur knew that Alfred was a late sleeper, and sometimes it would take forever just to wake him up.

"What?" Alfred retorted in defense. "Can't I just eat breakfast with you?" He then ripped open his coffee cake packet and began munching on a large portion of it. "Mmm... What'cha drinkin'?

"Green tea," Arthur grumbled, glaring down at his cup. "It's the first one I grabbed from the pantry that was at least half decent." he sighed. "I don't think any of the tea around here is decent at all. It's all full of garbage. Disgusting."

"Well, I wouldn't say _that _exactly..." Alfred said uncomfortably

"Oh, come come now, Alfred." Arthur scoffed. "You remember the tea we used to have back at my house in London?" He asked him pointedly. "I mean, that was some exquisite tea, if I do say so myself. All tea shops should sell those teas."

"I suppose." The taller man nodded in agreement, looking down at his food before shrugging.

Afraid that he said something wrong, Arthur hastily rushed to correct himself. "I mean, I guess it's not _that _bad, but I am just saying... There's better tea out there."

Alfred remained silent, continuing to stare at his cake thoughtfully. "You know..." He began, quickly getting up from his chair. "I think I can make you some tea that you'll like."

"_You? _Make me _tea?_"

_"_Why not?_" _Alfred shrugged, grinning over at the shorter blonde. "It's like old times, huh?"

Arthur mirrored his smile back. "Alright, sure. Go for it, Al." While he did have a crush on the taller boy, he wasn't going to let this get to his head.

Alfred went over to the counter and started pulling out some pots and tea bags. Arthur perked his head up from the table, watching Alfred as he prepared.

"Are you making that tea for me now?"

"Yup. I'll make sure this one is the most awesome tea that it'll blow your taste buds out!" Alfred said excitedly.

Arthur chuckled in amusement. "You sounded like Gilbert there for a moment."

"That's what I was going for," Alfred replied with a smirk.

Arthur couldn't help but feel his cheeks turn pink at this for a moment.

Arthur was staring up at him from the table, his head perched up on his hands, watching the way Alfred's arms would move across the counter, preparing the cup of tea. He had to admit, he rather liked watching Alfred cook. Hell, he liked watching anyone else cook but himself. And Alfred cooking was a rare sight for him, especially since the American loved getting pizza and take-out. Alfred hadd more fluid moves, seeming as though he knew what he was doing and doing it with ease. Arthur, on the other hand, would somehow always end up getting the food set on fire.

"Artie?"

Arthur blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. Alfred was now sitting across the table from him, two steaming cups of tea sitting between them. He just realized he had been staring off into space, which happened to look like he was staring at Alfred, and in a way, he was.

"You alright there, dude?" Alfred asked, sliding one of the cups over to Arthur and taking the other one in his hand.

Arthur just nodded, gratefully taking the cup in his hand as well. "Yes, I'm fine... Just, staring off into space for a moment, that's all." He shook his head, making his blonde hair shake back and forth in front of his eyes.

Alfred raised an eyebrow in concern as he nonchalantly took a sip of his own tea. Right as he put the cup to his lips, he slammed it back down, bringing his other hand to swat at the air around his opened mouth. "Hot, hot, hot!" he complained, taking in some breaths to try and cool down his tongue.

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well done, chap." He said sarcastically, amusement hanging in his voice.

"Oh, shut up." Alfred rolled his eyes, but smirked as he nudged his friend's arm from across the table.

Arthur laughed more at him, making Alfred's smirk grow even more so. But right when the taller man's arm touched his, Arthur could feel a shock of warmth run up his arm. His laugh turned into a nervous one as he rubbed his arm where Alfred had hit him.

Even though it was a small gesture, a friendly one, Arthur still took it as though it would mean something more. But that was impossible. Alfred was always the kidder of the group, and didn't take things too seriously. But it was arthur who always noticed these small gestures between them. Those small smiles they would share throughout the day, those small nudges they shared in a friendly way, and even just those moments when they both just locked eyes with each other and it seemed that time would slow down between them.

"You want your tea or not?" Alfred interrupted his thoughts again.

Arthur blinked, focusing his gaze on Alfred's face, swallowing hard since his mouth had begun to run dry. "Only if it's amazing," He commented back, a smooth recovery.

Alfred had on a smug little grin as he leaned back in his chair, ready to see what the other's reaction would be. "Drink up!" He grinned more, placing his hands behind his head.

"Yes, yes," Arthur said, also rolling his eyes as he put the cup to his lips. Alfred watched as he started drinking, tasting, and then swallowing. There was no emotion on his face.

"Well?" He finally asked him, arching on of his eyebrows.

Arthur smacked his lips together, then he shrugged. "It was decent." He nodded, settling the cup down. But when Alfred glanced down at it, he saw that it was completely empty. "May I have more, please?" Arthur asked, giving him a toothy grin.

Letting out one of his loud laughs, Alfred got up from his chair and took the pot to pour out some more into Arthur's cup before returning to his seat. "I take it you like it?"

"Yes," He admitted. "Well, it is better than the rest of the teas around here." A grin also on his face.

Alfred snorted before taking another sip of his own. They sat in silence for a little while, but it wasn't awkward. It was actually rather comforting.

"What are you thinking about?" Arthur asked suddenly, setting his cup down on the table. _Where did that come from?_

It was Alfred's turn to snap out of his thoughts, dazed and confused. He just shrugged. "I dunno... What..." He paused, taking in a breath before furrowing his eyebrows together. He didn't meet Arthur's gaze just yet. "What do you think about beauty?"

"Pardon?" Arthur almost spat up in his cup. _Where did this question come from? This wasn't like Alfred to ask something like this. Alfred shouldn't have to worry about beauty, considering he was something of it. _"What do you mean?"

Alfred shrugged again, taking a small sip but keeping his eyes down. "Like, what're your thoughts about it, and stuff..."

"Inner beauty or outer beauty?"

"Both, I guess."

Arthur sucked in his cheeks. "Well, it's simple, really. I believe outer beauty reflects inner beauty," he began. "But not in the 'oh he or she is pretty' sort of way. But if you really think someone is beautiful on the inside, then you'd think they were beautiful on the outside."

"So... What do you think about me?" Alfred asked, glancing up. He tilted his head to the side as though he was some sort of lost puppy.

Arthur's eyes went wide, but he quickly covered that by dropping his own gaze to the ground. His cheeks were heating up more, and he was sure that Alfred could see them. "I..." He couldn't find his voice. _How was he to answer? Tell him the truth? _He let out a small sigh. "I think you're beautiful, Alfred. Inside and out."

He was suddenly taken by surprise when Alfred reached over across the table and kissed him, making him drop his cup of tea on the ground. Alfred's lips were soft and warm, and Arthur didn't know what to do at first. He couldn't feel anything but the feeling of Alfred next to him, on him...

And then he decided to kiss back, pressing his mouth back against Alfred's. It was a strange feeling, he'd never done this to a boy before, especially someone like Alfred, so he was slightly hesitant at first.

But then he learned to enjoy it, and realized that he and Alfred were the only ones in the kitchen, in the whole house, and there was nothing else but the two of them and the steam coming out of the pot of tea behind them.

And for some reason, Arthur though it to be his imagination, but Alfred's lips lingered with the scent of the tea.

"Well, you're beautiful too, Artie," Alfred said once they broke apart before Alfred went back in for another kiss.


End file.
